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MC Hammer once came through for James Brown when he was at one of his lowest points, and Brown’s son, Darryl Brown, revealed the reasons behind that.

We all know that James Brown had a major influence on a plethora of artists with his style of dancing, showmanship, and fashion sense. Everyone from Michael Jackson, Prince and of course, MC Hammer, took pages out of The Godfather of Soul’s handbook. And because of Brown’s influence, Hammer showed his deep gratitude by doing what Brown’s son, Darryl, (pictured below playing guitar, with Hammer) explained in his book, “Inside the Godfather of Soul: Never Before Told Stories by James Brown”:

Via WWD– MC Hammer was another big fan [of James Brown], giving him $300,000 when Brown was released from jail in 1990. Daryl Brown (James’ son) said, “He [Hammer] did it because he just loved James Brown. He has said if it wasn’t for James Brown, he wouldn’t be here — the music, the dancing everything.”

Wow! That was extremely honorable of Hammer to do that for Brown!

This just goes to show that James Brown’s unselfish sharing of his gifts with the world, is like the gift that keeps on giving. Because of the fact that Mr. Brown gave, other people saw that, and in turn, wanted to give back to him out of sheer gratitude.

Moral of the story: We all have gifts that matter and can help to continue to push humanity and society forward. It’s up to us to recognize our gifts and share them with the next person. Major props and a huge thanks to the late, great “Godfather of Soul” for being a great example of that.

Reminisce with us to a few of artists who were influenced by Mr. Brown at work…

The Jackson’s 1968 audition tape for Motown Records. Michael performed James Brown’s “I Got The Feeling” and crushed it!

Classic Michael Jackson and Usher performance. This is a clear example of James Brown’s direct and indirect influence on other artists. Usher patterned his dance moves after MJ…and MJ admittedly patterned a lot of his style after Brown….

Like we said earlier, James Brown’s gift is the gift that keeps on giving.

-I Love Old School Music, old school news with a new point of view

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Yamma, now 52 years old, revealed that she witnessed her father abusing their mother, Deidre Jenkins, when she was just a child. She admitted to feeling anger towards her dad at that time, as no child wants to see their family member being hurt. Yamma explained, “I still go back to that place every now and then, not to belittle my dad, but flashing back over my own life and the domestic violence situation in my life, thinking how much of that shaped me.”

Deanna also touched on the importance of forgiveness, stating that it allowed her to heal and let go of the negative emotions she had towards her dad. While their relationship with their father was complicated, it’s evident that both daughters have found a way to reconcile their feelings and forgive him for his past actions.

James Brown’s daughters’ narratives shed light on the complexity of family dynamics and the capacity for forgiveness. Their personal experiences and ultimate forgiveness serve as an inspiration for others dealing with similar situations. It shows that healing is possible, even in the face of deeply rooted pain.

Source

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If icons like Marvin Gaye, Elvis Presley, or James Brown lived in today’s #MeToo social media era, they would be royally screwed and joining the likes of R. Kelly. Why? Because all of them were known to date underaged girls when they were grown men, at the height of their careers.

As truth diggers, here at ILOSM, we understand there’s a lot we can all learn from the lives and legacies of Old School celebs- regardless of if the details are good, bad, or ugly. With that said, let us share with y’all Motown singer, Tammie Terrell’s, sister’s details about the reportedly tumultuous relationship between Tammi and James Brown.

James Brown Was 30 and Tammi Terrell was 17?

Tammi Terrell was best known for her duet with Marvin Gaye, “Ain’t Nothing Like The Real Thing,” You’re All I Need To Get By,” and “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.” But before she made the move to Motown, she was Brown’s backup singer. It was during that time that Tammi reportedly began dating Brown when he was 30 and she was 17 years old.

According to Tammi’s sister, Ludie Montgomery, when their Mother found out that her teen daughter was dating a 30 year old cat, she nearly lost it.

Here’s What Tammi’s Mother Reportedly Caught James Brown Doing In Her Bed

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Here’s what was reported regarding Ludie’s recollection of the time their Mother busted Tammi Terrell and James Brown:

According to Tammi Terrell’s sister (Ludie), James Brown enticed the impressionable 17-year-old Tammi with lavish gifts and luxuries when she toured with the James Brown Review.

When Tammi’s mother and sister visited her in New York. Her suite was beautiful and spacious with a sitting area and bedroom. The space was adorned with an array of flowers that complimented the colors of the decor. …

James also bought her many presents which included furs, jewelry and gorgeous ensembles; the next outfit was more beautiful than the last.

“Tammi took us shopping and bought us expensive gifts at Saks Fifth Avenue. When we returned, we entered Tammi’s room, we saw that James Brown was sleeping in Tammi’s bed. He woke up abruptly, greeted us politely and left. Mother seemed awfully worried and confused but Brown’s assistant-Gertie assured her that she kept a watchful eye out for Tammi on the road.” -via PanacheReport

Sister Then Described Severe Abuse Tammi Reportedly Suffered From James Brown

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While on the road with James Brown, Tammi Terrell was reportedly beaten severely. The last time was when she went to singer, Gene Chandler, for help: “I witnessed the situation and she came to me for help, then I called her parents,” said Chandler.

According to PR, here’s what Ludie wrote in her biography, My Sister Tommie, The Real Life Tammi Terrell:

“Our mother received a distressing telephone call. Mother was horrified to learn that a 17-year-old Tammi had encountered some trouble on the road and was coming home. James Brown had beaten her mercilessly and Tammi wanted out. My father was especially hurt because he knew James and he trusted him with Tammi since she was only 17 and he was 30.

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When Tammi returned home she looked disheveled, tired and just worn out. I learned that night that she had been trying to get away for some time but was worried about breach of contract repercussions.

While mother and I were unpacking Tammi’s things in the basement my mother discovered a blue, silk oriental dress. It was called a Kimono and James had bought it for Tammi. This dress had particular significance! There was blood all over it. We learned that Tammi’s abuse was extensive and that this tragic incident involved an umbrella with horrific results.”

After her reportedly brutal relationship with James Brown, Tammi moved on to a reportedly equally brutal relationship with Temptations lead singer, David Ruffin.

Thankfully, at the end of her short life –which was sadly claimed by brain cancer in 1970, just one month before her 25th birthday– Tammi Terrell felt what real love was from the doctor she was happily engaged to at the time of her passing.

Source

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The 50-year-old daughter of the late James Brown, Dr. Yamma Brown, revealed some very horrific things about what it was like growing up in the Brown household with her Pops, her two siblings, Deanna and Daryl and their mother, Deirde “DeeDee Jenkins. She details watching her father brutally beat down their mom like she was thief in the night who stole something from him.

Yamma grew up with conflicting views about her Pops. She had a love-hate relationship with him- she loved him as her Dad, hated him for repeatedly abusing her Mom. After you see what Yamma revealed about the brutal incidents between her parents, you may have some conflicting views on the ‘Godfather’ too.

YAMMA ON HER DAD, JAMES BROWN: “I HATED HIM DURING THOSE TIMES”

In Yamma’s book, “Cold Sweat: My Father James Brown and Me,” she discussed the many violent incidents where she and her sister, Deanna (pictured with Yamma below), would hear a body being punched and tossed around her parents bedroom, accompanied by their Mother’s muffled cry:

‘Deanna and I were happy to be playing a game…when the screams and the banging began. We knew the drill and quickly climbed under the coffee table in the living room and held our ears, waiting for the sounds to stop. But this time was different. Waiting for the silence, I heard the bedroom door slam and the sounds of footsteps rumbling down the hallway. The footsteps got louder and closer. Louder and closer. Deanna and I squeezed each other tightly, holding on for dear life.’

‘From our hiding spot under the coffee table we could see my mother pad past the living room in her bare feet, with my father on the edge of her heels. Cowering under the table, I watched as the two pairs of feet moved toward the front door. My mother was crying…

I saw my father lunge forward to grab her, and she leaped forward and screamed. “James! Stop! James! Please! Ahhhhhhh!” I had never heard her sound so afraid. The front door flew open, and they were outside. “Daddy’s going to kill her,” I said to my sister. “We have to do something.” I was 5 years old.’

“I ran to the front door and peered outside,” she wrote. “My mother was dressed in her blue and white robe. Her legs were splayed wide open and my father was straddling her, pummeling her with clenched fists. Doosh. Thud. Doosh. Thud. Blood spurted from my mother’s face. She started thrashing around, kicking her legs, holding up her arms to ward off the punches and trying to break free, trying to save herself.”

“STOP PUNCHING MY MOMMY!”

Then Yamma got the courage to try to stop her Pops and this happened…

 

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A post shared by Dr. Yamma Brown (@daughterofsoul)

Yamma tried her hardest to get her dad to get off of her Mommy:

“I froze in place, but then something inside of me took over and I knew I had to do something,” she continued. “I felt no fear, only rage. I ran outside, screaming, ‘Leave her alone! Stop punching Mommy!’ He didn’t even turn around. He just kept punching.”’

‘He didn’t even turn around. He just kept punching. The next thing I knew I was on his back, trying to pull him off of my mom. Sweat was dripping off his face and his eyes were glazed and wild. When he first looked at me, it was as if I was looking into the eyes of a stranger — and a mad one at that. “Stop!’’ I screamed. “Leave Mommy alone!” My father looked stunned. It was as if he’d awakened from a bad dream. His head dropped and his shoulders slumped. I looked down at my mom. Her eyes were purple and her face was bloody. She didn’t look back at me.’

Yamma said their dad never once beat them (the kids) though. But unfortunately, she said that she, too, married and divorce someone just like her father:

“I’d been programmed to accept abuse as part of life… witnessing my father beating on my mother would have a profound effect on me,” she said.

This is heartbreaking. But it’s like we always say, here at ILOSM: Icons, such as James Brown, have accomplished great things in life, but that never negates that fact that they are perfectly flawed human beings, just like us regular folks.

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know, Venisha sadly passed away at age 53 in September 2018. What’s also heartbreaking is that in her 53 years on this earth that beautiful soul had many battles to fight.

Many details have since emerged about Venisha Brown’s life, and her sister had something to say about it.

James Brown’s Daughter, Venisha, Had Decent Upbringing

She lived in California with her mother/singer, Yvonne Fair, and attended the upscale Hollywood High School. She spent summers in Georgia with her dad, James Brown. But Then Her Life Took A Turn For The Worse.

Venisha’s Past Ongoing Addiction

James Brown’s daughter, Yamma Brown, said Venisha “struggled with addiction, which most people know, a lot of her adult life … Fortunately, she had good family support. My dad was her support structure for a lot of years.” Addiction Wasn’t Her Only Issue Though.

Sister Details Venisha Brown’s Past Arrests

Then Came A Lengthy Prison Stint
Venisha served one year of a 5-year sentence for the 2012 car theft, and was reportedly released in February 2014.

But Here’s What Happened Just Over A Month After She Was Released
Venisha was reportedly arrested again in April 2014, for probation violation.

20+ More Arrests
According to reports, Venisha Brown was arrested approximately 24 times, within 17 years. Clearly, this Queen had inner struggles.

Sister Speaks About Visiting Venisha Brown In Prison

Deanna Brown:

“I would go into the jail and visit her…I would be there and do whatever I possibly could.”

‘There’s Only So Much I Could Do’

Venisha Brown’s struggles became overwhelming for several of her loved ones:

“It got to the point where there was only so much I could do. She had a crack addiction and she struggled with that,” said Deanna.

Venisha’s Beautiful Turnaround

By the end of her life, Venisha was off drugs and dedicated her time toward speaking to young folks to help them: “She’d say “don’t do what I did,” said Deanna. “Don’t make the same mistakes that I did.”

Sister Described Her Last Days

Venisha ultimately succumbed to pneumonia. Here sister, Yamma, said, “She didn’t lose her mind. She was very strong willed. She had all her faculties together… She was weak in her body, but definitely strong in her mind to the end.”

You GOTTA See Venisha Dancing EXACTLY Like Her Pops

Rest on Venisha Brown.

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James Brown once revealed why he had to basically tell Elvis Presley ‘We’re cool, but we ain’t that cool.’ The Godfather was an entertainer whom many artists wanted to be. He had it all- charisma, dancing skills, originality, unique voice, and plenty of hits. He’s one of the the most sampled artists ever and although he didn’t get paid for every sample, he still took it all in stride like a champ. There was one artist that he could not excuse though- Elvis.

James Brown ultimately became tired of watching Elvis attempting to jack everything from him- literally. In his memoir, “I FEEL GOOD A Memoir of a Life of Soul,” James Brown said:

“Elvis Presley wanted everything I had, in addition to gospel he wanted to somehow get into soul. I had a man working for me, by the name of Bob Patton, and Elvis used to call him all the time to get my tapes, so that he could play them until he thought he had the sound down. Then he’d rent a theater for himself and friends so he could perform soul music, James Brown style. Not long after he asked me if he could use my band as a backup for a tour, but I couldn’t go for that. That was my band, and my band only.”

They say imitation is the best form of flattery and it looks like Elvis was attempting to flatter the heck out of the Godfather of Soul…geesh!

James Brown and Elvis eventually became good friends though, and after Elvis passed away, James was quoted as saying:

“I wasn’t just a fan, I was his brother. Last time I saw Elvis alive was at Graceland. We sang ‘Old Blind Barnabus’ together, a gospel song. I love him and hope to see him in heaven. There’ll never be another like that soul brother.”

Source: “James Brown: I Feel Good,” by Marc Eliot

We’re seeing this form of what some call “swagger jacking” or “culture vultures” happening all too often these days and I don’t want you to think I’m only referring to White artists because I’m not…Black artists are doing it also. It’s one thing to have artists who are genuine with their craft, because we can always tell when it’s real. Take Teena Marie for example, soul ran all through her veins and it was just evident. Then there are others who stand out like a sore thumb.

Now, this is no diss to Elvis at all, he did his thing and ultimately developed a unique style, but here are a few artists who seem to have taken a page out of Elvis’ book and attempted to “flatter” their idols, to no avail:

Vanilla Ice
Remember when he was supposed to be the Caucasian version of MC Hammer? Uh…he didn’t convince a lot of us with that one, although he sold a few million. After he started to get called out on the lies he’d told about “growing up in the hood” and other fictionalized attempts about his life in an attempt to sell people on his “authenticity” and that’s where he really messed up and his sales started plummeting. I guess he’s now realized that “being from the hood” is not the only way to sell rap albums, but being authentic, no matter who you are.

Milli Vanilli
This is self-explanatory. Like I said, it is not about race and Milli Vanilli are perfect examples of that. I’m not sure exactly who they were trying to imitate, other than the four singers who actually sang their vocals on their albums.

Justin Bieber
I think that deep down, Justin Beiber’s trying to emulate Chris Brown, not only in singing style and stage presence.

Thoughts, I Love Old School Music fam?’

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Michael Jackson took James Brown’s death much harder than fans may have ever imagined. Sometimes people view celebrities as being much different from average people because of their public status, but MJ’s grief proved yet again, that they’re just normal people, like the rest of us. In fact, Michael reportedly went to great lengths to have time to grieve alone, following the death of his idol. According to WRDW, Charles Reid, of the C.A.Reid Funeral Home, shared details about Michael’s night at the funeral home with James Brown.

MJ Needed Hours To Grieve with Brown’s Body

Apparently, Michael needed time with James Brown, even in death, so he spent hours with the ‘Godfather of Soul’s’ body – FOUR hours to be exact. No one else was in the room for much of the time, just Michael and James Brown’s body. Reid, a veteran funeral director, revealed Michael’s visit was quite different from most, because mourners usually view the body of the deceased in passing. But, Michael paid his respects for a much longer period of time than expected. The King of Pop also expressed numerous concerns about Brown’s funeral preparations:

“He actually stayed here for about 4 and a half hours,” says Reid. “The time he spent with him was out of the ordinary because normally a person comes in views and that’s pretty well the end of it. There was various things he was interested in. He had a lot of questions that he had to ask in reference to Mr. Brown also preparation and stuff of that nature.”

Al Sharpton Also Described Michael Jackson’s Visit With Brown’s Body

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Reverend Al Sharpton, also spoke of the visit, by Michael Jackson, to the Augusta, Georgia, funeral home. In a book, by James McBride, Sharpton said that MJ sat up all night with the body of his musical godfather and spent hours talking with Brown’s first wife.

Despite Michael Jackson’s rare visit with James Brown, Reid had nothing but great things to say about him. Like most fans, Reid, (the funeral director), was also left with a lasting impression of the King of Pop:

“Michael, I only met him once, a first impression is a lasting impression and I admired him,” said Reid. “You would think that a person with that talent would never die, but I guess in theory, what he has done, will never die.”

Well said.

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